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WASHINGTON MONUMENT 

As Memorial appeared before it fell prey to 
ravages of the elements. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 

of the 

FIRST MONUMENT TO GEORGE 
WASHINGTON 

VT 

EAiiYEY S. BOMBEEGSlt 




On South Mountain, near 
Boonsboro, Maryland 



Hagerstown Herald Print 
1907 






Gin 

Autl.or 

OCT 13 »tti 



HE traveler going westward 
on the old national pike 
ten or twelve miles south 
of Hagerstown, Maryland, 
nearly midway between 
that city and Frederick, 
after he has passed down over the 
mountain, and just before he has 
reached the town of Boouesboro, will 
notice on a prominent knob of the 
range an irregular pile of masonry 
with just enough of order to suggest 
the ruins of a structure of some size. 
He will be told in answer to his inquiry 
concerning it that it is the ruins a sec- 
ond time of a monument to Washing- 
ton. The use of the indefinite article 
is hardly unwarranted, for this monu- 
ment, since its building more than 
three-quarters of a century ago and its 
rebuilding in 1882, has in all this time 
been so much in a state of dilapidation 
that it has escaped the observation it 
has deserved and which its position 
was intended to give to it. It is doubt- 
less due to this that it has generally 
been unknown and unrecognized as 
one of the historic structures, not of 
the section merely, but of the country 
as a whole. The date of its building, 
the motives that raised it, the manner 
of its erection, its proportions and its 
position overlooking so prominently 



the then great national highway, en- 
title it to more than a local considera- 
tion. 

This monument which has the es- 
tablished distinction of being the first 
erected to Washington in the country, 
was built by the citizens of Boones- 
boro in 1827. The town is an old one, 
its founding dating back to 1787, and 
at the time had grown into an organ- 
ized community of four or five hundred 
people. Directly to the east of it rises 
a peak or fold of the mountain twelve 
hundred feet above the valley, that 
stands out alone, and that reaches 
down to the town itself. It was on 
the well defined summit of this eleva- 
tion that the structure was placed. In 
front of the monument, making a 
crown to the mountain are five or 
six acres of huge stone formation, 
known in the early land records as 
Blue Rocks. Many of the rocks are 
immense boulders. They are a grey 
granite mass and so deep is the bed 
that vegetation has never pierced It. 
Covered with a dense growth of lichen 
they present an aspect looking immed- 
iately down that is singularly wild. 
Stretching far into the west is an ex- 
tensive scene of wonderful charm. 
Farm after farm of well tilled land, 
outlined yet by the unfortunately fast 

4 



tii^Mrl 



disappearing post and rail fence, here 
and there thrifty orchards of peach 
and apple and patches of primeval 
oaks, extending dimly to the North 
mountain thirty miles away with the 
haze of the Potomac winding midway 
between, and in the midst the beautiful 
National Cemetery at Sharpsburg, 
make the view picturesque and beauti- 
ful to a degree worthy of its associa- 
tion. 

Tradition has it that the building of 
the memorial was a political demon- 
stration of the adherents of the demo- 
cratic party of the times, but the fact 
that the undertaking was made on the 
4th of July would seem to give the in- 
spiration a wider and more general 
source. It was doubtless a manifesta- 
tion of the patriotic ardor that pre- 
vailed throughout the country at the 
time as the result of the political ex- 
citement of which Adams, Clay, Jack- 
son and others were the energetic 
factors. 

The fame of the Commander-in-Chief 
of the Revolution, and first president 
of the republic had by this time grown 
to an amplitude in which criticism was 
hushed and the nobility of his charac- 
ter and his greatness as a general and 
statesman had become fixed in the 
minds and hearts of every citizen of 



the nation. Washington's great title 
of the Father of his Country had al- 
ready become a household word. It 
was therefore time and fitting that a 
memorial should be erected to him. 
He had been dead twenty-five years. 
The establishment of the new govern- 
ment was felt to be secure. The bless- 
ings of a free country were bemg en- 
ioyed, and the dream of empire as it 
f red the imaginations of the represen- 
tative men of the times had reached 
down and infused itself into the life of 
the remotest citizen. The experiences 
of the struggle for independence had 
not yet ceased to be handed down by 
those who had directly taken part in 
it and it is told that one or two of 
those whose hands laid the foundation 
stones were aged survivors of the revo- 
litionary army. It would be mteres - 
ing and honorable indeed to his de- 
scendents to know who it was tha^ 
first conceived of the memorial, to 
have a report of the public meeting at 
which it was proposed and discussed 
who composed the committee to ar- 
range for the work, what masons T^ied 

the hammer and trowel. All thi. is 
est as well as nearly all the lesser in- 
cidents that would enable the fry to 
be told as it could be wished The 
ToichT^ight of Hagerstown, bearing 



rma 



the date of July, 1827, made a report of 
the event which comprises the his- 
torical record of it. The account con- 
tains the following: 

"Washington Monument, near Boones- 
boro. 

"Pursuant to previous arrangements, 
the citizens of Boonesboro assembled 
at the public square on the fourth inst., 
at half past seven o'clock in the morn- 
ing, to ascend the 'Blue Rocks' for the 
patriotic purpose of erecting a monu- 
ment to the memory of him whose 
name stands at the head of this ar- 
ticle. This spot was selected in con- 
sequence of the great facility with 
which the materials were furnished. 
A little more than the foundation had 
been laid the day before, which en- 
abled us to proceed without delay to 
the grand design before us. The men 
seemed actuated by a spirit of zeal and 
ardor almost bordering on enthusiasm. 

"About 12 o'clock we heard a very 
appropriate extempore address from 
the Rev. Mr. Clinghan, a gentleman of 
the Revolutionary period, whose warm 
patriotism, animating a constitution 
rendered infirm by age and bad health, 
induced him to bear all fatigue and 
danger to accomplish the purpose of 
his heart. 



"About 1 o'clock we partook of a 
cold collation, as our object was not 
to gratify our pampered appetites; con- 
sequently no sumptuous arrangements 
had been made, neither were toasts 
prepared for the occasion, but we en- 
joyed more heartfelt satisfaction in 
partaking of our simple fare than the 
most costly or highly seasoned dishes 
would have afforded. Our thoughts 
and food were both highly spiced with 
the contemplation of our work, there- 
by needing no stimulants to excite an 
artificial appetite. At the conclusion 
of our labors, about 4 o'clock, the Dec- 
laration of Independence was read 
from one of the steps of the monu- 
ment, preceded by some prefactory ob- 
servations, after which several salutes 
of infantry were fired, when we all re- 
turned to town in good order. 

"This monument is fifty-four feet in 
circumference at its base and fifteen 
feet high (we contemplate raising it 
thirty feet after the busy season has 
passed). The wall is composed of huge 
stone, many weighing upwards of a 
ton, with the whole of the center filled 
up with the same material. A flight 
of steps, commencing at the base and 
running through the body of the fabric, 
enables us to ascend to the top, from 
whence the most beautiful prospect 



.■^w. ^ vFiuMWI 



presents itself that the eye can possi- 
bly behold. Shepherdstown, Hagers- 
town, and Cavetown are distinctly 
seen, with all the fertile fields of Jef- 
ferson, Berkeley and Washington coun- 
ties, affording a landscape teeming 
with life and wealth. 

"To the summit of this mountain is 
a rugged path, but the view will afford 
a rich compensation for the labor. 
Twelve feet from the base, upon the 
side fronting Boonesboro, was inserted 
a white marble slab, with the follow- 
ing inscription: 

" 'Erected in memory of Washing- 
ton, July 4, 1827, by the citizens of 
Boonesboro. 

" 'At the laying of the monument 
several Revolutionary soldiers ascend- 
ed and fired three rounds from its 
top.' " 

Rev. William Clinghan, D. D., men- 
tioned above, was a clergyman of the 
Episcopal Church and at the time of 
his participation in the dedication was 
living retired in Boonesboro. The 
house occupied by him is still stand- 
ing. He died in 1833 and his grave is 
in the old burying ground adjoining 
the Reformed Church in that place. 

In 1882 there remained, as indeed 
for many years before, only a fallen 
ruin of the original monument. As 



late as 1876 the marble slab bearing 
the inscription could be seen from the 
town. About this time it disappeared, 
and is doubtless stored away by some 
one who removed it to save it from the 
total destruction that seemed to threat- 
en the pile, and to preserve it for some 
future restoration. In 1882 a move- 
ment originated with the LaGrange 
Lodge of Odd Fellows of Boonesboro 
to rebuild the monument. The project 
instantly met with a hearty response 
from the people of the locality, and 
steps were at once taken to provide 
the necessary funds. By subscription 
and some public efforts a sufficient 
sum was raised and the monument 
was restored to a height of thirty feet 
with tue interior stairway again to the 
top. The rededication of it took place 
on August 18th of that year in the 
presence of a concourse of 3000 peo- 
ple. The occasion was made notable 
by the presence of a number of dis- 
tinguished men of Maryland and else- 
where, including the Governor of the 
State, Wm. T. Hamilton, who ad- 
dressed the assemblage. The orator 
of the day was Frederick T. Nelson, of 
Frederick, who delivered an eloquent 
oration. 

A roadway to the point accessable to 
carriages was constructed, and it re- 

10 



mained passable for a number of years. 
The upper portion has now become 
overgrown from disuse, but the outline 
of it can still be seen. The grade is 
of very moderate ascent. The larger 
part of the roadway is now one of the 
publi-! roads of Washington county, 
and is regularly maintained by annual 
appropriation. 

Ten years after its rebuilding, on 
account of faulty construction or possi- 
bly from a stroke of lightning, a rent 
appeared in the stonework, which 
rapidly grew, causing the monument 
to fall again to its former ruin. In this 
condition it has since remained. A 
large part of the original stonework 
is now standing, including the stair- 
way. A mOVem^Tlt lO Qgroin V,r,?^or /--- 

templated by i 1 r inr\>y 

boro to have February IJf^ 1907 
\o ^o^^«s^^^K>»^'«>^*«s^«^' ti Washing' 
^5>A«f\Q^X\j,^^M'<)^%^ for the Pro- 
:>Vwv<55>5i h-M» sxcw^oi^ 37^J^ to Wash- 

seir to tn. ,, ,^ .^. eiiimeut. 

There 1 !»VOvi^VV ^^^ appeals to 
the imagi^anv/n i,v^ icdin of this patri- 
otic enterprise on the part of the early 
citizens who undertook it To place 

11 



the first or indeed any monument to 
the hero of the Revolution and the 
great first President of the nation on 
the peak of a mountain in bold view 
of the great national highway and at 
the time, the avenue to the then wide 
unsettled west, was an act of no small 
conception and deserves the recogni- 
tion of the people of the entire country. 

There are larger monuments to 
Washington and to countless other 
great patriots, but of no one of them 
can it be said that its foundation was 
laid in purer, stronger, more reverent 
patriotism, in more genuine love of 
country or in truth conceived in 
grander proportions. 

It is worthy even in its decay of the 
greatness it was built to commemorate 
and it should stand again in permanent 
form. Our American nation cannot 
too much keep before it the high ideals 
of Washington, nor too jealously pre- 
serve the memorials of his magnificent 
fame. 



13 



ir..'HLJaJKUUM 



The First Washington Monument 



Of old thou stood, a watcher lone, 

Upon the silent height; 
Strong as the Heart at Valley Forge, 

That watched in frozen night. 
For In thee glowed the pulse that timed, 

The march of Freedom's feet; 
Fed by the flood of hero blood. 

It ne'er shall cease to beat. 

The hands, within whose sturdy veins 

The patriot thrill coursed free; 
Raised up thy sentinel form to him 

Who wrought for Liberty. 
Those liands are stilled, but oh, the throb 

Hath never ceased in rest ; 
It vibrates down the path of Time, 

And echoes in each breast. 

Though shattered once by storm and age, 

\ et Nature wove thee round ; 
A flowery, fragrant memory. 

Embraced thee from the ground. 
The fair, wild blossoms kissed thv form. 

The birds sang o'er thv stone ; 
The stars in night's emblazoned flag. 

Kept watch with thee alone. 

And now once more thy form shall stand, 

(jrim Veteran of the past; 
Like Liberty, though crushed to earth. 

It must arise at last. 
For when the thrill of grateful love, 
^^ Shall o'er us cease to steal ; 
Twill be because our Soul is dead, 

.\nd hearts have ceased to feel. 

—Isahel S. Motion in 

Hatjerf^ttncn Herald . 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



014 313 932 3 



